


Coffee Days & Whiskey Nights

by hereforthephilindafics



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23761762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforthephilindafics/pseuds/hereforthephilindafics
Summary: The first few days were busy because they kept themselves busy.Missing Scenes between Season 1 & Season 2; from when the Team arrives at the Playground until we see them in 2x01, from Melinda May's prospective.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Leo Fitz, Phil Coulson & Melinda May, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Antoine Triplett
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	Coffee Days & Whiskey Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I've been turning this in my head for a long time and I finally was able to put it into words. It was all ready to be written down because it look like three days to be complete.
> 
> I picked May's POV because she is the Bus Mom, even when they are no longer on the Bus.
> 
> Enjoy!

The Playground was echoey, every small sound bounced off the stone walls over and over. Or maybe it seemed so to Melinda because it was empty. After having spent majority of her career at the Triskelion, always surrounded by people and noise, this base seemed almost eerie.

The first few days were busy because they kept themselves busy. Melinda went over every part of the Bus, made sure there had been no sabotage or damage. She collected Ward’s belongings and burned them. Trip and Jemma took inventory of the small medical ward and supplies they found. Whatever time Jemma didn’t spend working, she spent by Fitz’s side. Skye spent her time one-upping Agent Koenig when it came to tech. She made sure the whole base was on a private network, while she tried to re-create S.H.I.E.L.D’s network, and was not easily hacked.

Coulson spent an entire week not sleeping. He sat in his office the first day they arrived at the Playground and didn’t leave for the next six days. His office was attached to the base commander’s quarters, equipped with a full bathroom, so he had no need to wander the halls. Skye installed a coffee machine in one of the empty corners and brought him his meals. Melinda brought him whiskey at night.

“You could stay,” Coulson said when Melinda turned toward the door after placing a bottle down on his desk the seventh’s night.

She turned and looked at him. “Do you want me to stay?”

Coulson picked up the bottle with a sigh and poured them a finger each in the plastic cups they had found in the pantry. He looked at Melinda and nodded. They touched the cups lightly and knocked down their first drink at the same time.

“Are you done laboring, Hercules?”

Coulson smirked, refilling his cup. He waited for Melinda’s nod before filling hers. He poured two fingers this time.

“I don’t even know where to start from.” Coulson sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Took you a week to figure that out?”

He chuckled. “The funds are there…but there’s nothing else.”

“There’s you.”  
Coulson smiled, looking toward the window. “I need help.”

“Took you a week to figure that out too?”

He swiveled his chair back toward Melinda and looked at her smiling, his head cocked to the right, his hands laced on his stomach.

“Puppy eyes do not work on me. Say it.”

“I’m sorry I shut you out.”

Melinda nodded and poured them three fingers. “You need to apologize to Skye as well.”

Fitz woke up, but it was even more painful to watch him lying there, scared and confused. Jemma spent most of the time in his bunk. Melinda brought her food and something to read that wasn’t medical journals or research. She barely touched the food. Skye would sit outside of the room and wait for her for hours. One time she saw Coulson sitting with her.

“You’re not going to Target while we are America’s most wanted!” Melinda said as she walked down one of the Playground’s hallways, Trip and Skye followed.

“Come on, Agent May. Skye makes some kick ass fake IDs.”

Melinda turned and stared them down. Trip half-hid behind Skye.

“What happens if you get stopped driving there? If the local police have your pictures?”

“Why would we get stopped? I’m a great driver,” Trip said, smiling his signature – all teeth- smile.

“And why would a tiny police force in this tiny ass town have our picture?”

“Both of you, stop saying the word ass.”

“Come on, May! This base needs a personal touch. I want a bedside lamp. We need snacks that aren’t packaged in boring, gray boxes. I want a Starbucks Frappuccino!” Skye was basically bouncing up and down.

Melinda rolled her eyes and they took her hesitation as a win. They were halfway down the hall before she stopped them. Skye dragged her feet back.

“Be careful. If you get caught, I will not come and get you.” Melinda dug in the back pocket of her jeans and slapped some bills on Skye’s hand. “Use cash and get me two whiskey glasses, please.”

Melinda ignored the smirk on Skye’s face.

Agent Koenig found the first few willing to join. The ones who had nothing to lose or had lost something already. Some who still believed in good versus evil. Melinda greeted everyone when they got off the jets in the hangar. Everyone received a packet outlining their pay grade and benefits. Only because they operated as an illegal organization didn’t mean they would pay their agents below minimum wage. Coulson took care of the rest; from orientation, to scaring the crap out of them, to the testing before they officially joined.

A month in and there was already more than just seven people wandering around the Playground. They all had chores. There was a list and timetable for everything. Melinda was not a fan of chaos, no matter where she was.

  
  


Melinda walked to one of the kitchenettes barefoot, hoping hot tea would help her sleep. Skye was eating ice-cream out of the tub, sitting on the table. Her spoon froze in her mouth when she saw Melinda.

“Chair isn’t good enough?”

“Can’t sleep,” the girl mumbled, spoon still in her mouth.

Melinda rolled her eyes and started making her tea. She placed a mug in front of Skye as well, who had finally decided to sit like an adult. She added lemon and honey to the mugs before pouring the scalding tea.

“Give it a few minutes so you don’t burn your tongue,” Melinda said, wrapping her hands around her mug.

Skye copied her. “So why couldn’t you sleep?”

Melinda gave her a tiny smile.

“Coulson says he can’t sleep cause he’s getting old.”  
“Of course he says that.” Melinda looked up at Skye. “You better not be giving him ice-cream when you guys are up in the middle of the night.”

Skye pretended to look left and right like Melinda wasn’t speaking to her.

“Is he okay?”

“I think so.”

Melinda almost shot him in the head the night Coulson snuck into her bunk and shook her awake at three-forty-five in the morning. She tried to get her breathing under control as she lowered her gun. He remained kneeling by her bed.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”  
Coulson blinked. “I want to show you what I did.”  
Melinda frowned. She couldn’t ask him what he meant because Coulson got up and left the bunk. She picked up her gun and followed him. He was standing in the middle of his office, staring at the wall where usually his projector was. It was covered in writing carved into the wall.

“Phil…”  
He turned to her slowly. “It’s starting isn’t it? Like Garret.”

Melinda took a step closer. “It doesn’t have to be like Garret.”

Coulson snorted. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“But I’ll stay with you every time you have an…episode. We can figure this out together.”

He nodded. “Help me cover this up for now.”  
  


Coulson started going on recruiting missions a week after he started carving on walls. It was like he wanted to give her high blood pressure. Melinda didn’t understand why he even needed to travel around the world when more and more agents were asking to join.

It was nice to have Hartley back. Melinda had started to feel old. But she brought two mercenaries with her. She couldn’t wait to punch Hunter in the face. Melinda did like Mack, however, and he was a proper agent. He was handy to have around, plus Trip finally had another guy to talk to.

Melinda got tired of seeing Skye mop around base.

“You do know it’s five in the morning, right?” Skye said when she opened the door after Melinda’s fourth bang.

“Get dressed, you’re watching me do tai-chi.”

Skye groaned and followed her, half asleep, to the gym. She slept sitting up for most of Melinda’s routine, but the next day she was more awake. In a week she asked to join. Coulson sometimes watched their training sessions, but he had gone back to sitting in his office and this time Melinda didn’t want to encourage Skye’s intrusions.

They had game-night when it was slow. Which was usually all the time because they still didn’t have much to act on anything. Skye came up with the games and Hunter with the booze that Melinda was sure she hadn’t approved on her last budget report. They probably had taken another unauthorized trip to Target. They all joined in, even Mack. Skye basically dragged Jemma to them each time. Melinda usually watched. But one night they were playing poker, so she bought in. Ended up cleaning everyone. Hunter suggested they played strip poker next. Melinda raised her right eyebrow at him while Skye and Jemma chocked on their drinks.

Jemma came to them with the idea. Melinda was sure Skye had overheard Coulson saying they needed someone on the inside and had told her. She probably didn’t think Jemma would jump at the opportunity.

“Absolutely not,” Coulson said, not even looking up from his report.

“But Sir—

“Jemma, this is Hydra you want to infiltrate,” Melinda said. “You’ve never done something like this before.”

“I have to start somewhere. I’m sure even you and the Director had your first missions where no one believed in you.”

That made Coulson look up. “We all believe in you, Jemma. But you haven’t been trained for this.”

“Skye wasn’t trained for anything when you made her an agent, Sir.”

“What is this really about, Agent Simmons?” Coulson asked.

Jemma didn’t fidget, she held her position, but her breathing picked up. Melinda tried not to smile.

“I want to do my part. I think I could get a lot of intel undercover.”

Coulson looked at Melinda. She nodded.

“I don’t have a specific location in mind at the moment, but I will give you one by tonight,” Coulson said, nodding at Jemma.

She turned and left. Melinda sighed. One more thing for her to worry about.

Melinda found Jemma and Skye in one of the few private showers. Skye with bangs and Jemma with her hair cut short, locks of hair all over the floor around them.

Melinda placed her hands on her hips and raised her right eyebrow.

“If she’s going to see her parents, she needs a new look,” Skye said and shrugged. “We can’t have them thinking she has no life here.”

“And where are you going?”

“Skye had too much hair,” Jemma said.

Skye’s hair has been thick and voluminous. It looked like she had not only cut it but also thinned it. Melinda was sure she would straighten it to make the bangs look better.

“Clean up when you’re done.”

Skye started training harder once Jemma left. Melinda guessed it was because she felt lonely. Fitz didn’t want to talk to her. Trip would make her laugh and entertain her, but he also had other responsibilities. One afternoon, after Melinda searched everywhere, she found Skye on the Bus, sweeping up the shattered glass all over the floor. They really had neglected their first base.

“Did Jemma tell you when she’s coming back?”

Melinda made sure to sweep up all the small fragments of glass one missed the first time.

“May!”

“She isn’t required to give us details about her time off, Skye. And she can take as much as she wants.”

“What if she doesn’t come back?”

Melinda shrugged. “I wouldn’t hold it against her.”

More and more agents joined, but they were still too small. Didn’t have enough intel to make a move. Didn’t have cloaking.

Fitz was finally walking around the lab but he wasn’t able to get anything done, let alone reproduce big S.H.I.E.L.D’s cloaking mechanism. Melinda found Coulson one time sitting with him, helping him read the instructions for something he was trying to put together. She thought it was something for a mission.

It was a Star Wars spaceship. She smiled and backed out, leaving them to it.

“We can’t just not talk to him.”

Melinda looked at Coulson. “Wanna bet?”

“We need what he knows.”

“How do you know he knows anything? Maybe he just followed Garret blindly.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Coulson said, opening the door to Vault D.

“Coulson, if anything goes wrong, I’m coming down there with a loaded gun.”

He nodded.

Coulson was gone on another recruitment mission. Melinda would be okay with babysitting the base if he at least came back with results.

More and more agents lost to Hydra, or dead, or just so fed up they changed their names, wiped their identities, moved on.

Melinda had told him once what she would do if she needed to disappear. She still had a backpack with all her essentials stashed under her bed. She could walk out of here and never be Melinda May again. The question was: who would she be? In what scenario wasn’t she The Cavalry. In what life could she be a normal woman with an apartment, a few plants on the window still, and a house cat?

She almost reached for her gun when Skye and Hunter barreled through the hangar, arguing about who ate the last pop-tarts.

Melinda rolled her eyes. Mack shook his head and went back to working on her bike.

His episodes happened more and more often. Coulson tried to hold out, push them away, but he paid the price each time. He was distracted, agitated, easily irritable. He stayed away from the rest of the team. Skye took it personally. She followed him around like a puppy. Melinda could almost see her ears drop when Coulson didn’t give her more than a ‘hello’.

He was always exhausted after carving into the wall. Some nights he barely made it to his chair. One time he collapsed right under the writing. Melinda walked to him slowly and sat beside him.

Coulson leaned his head on her shoulder. “I’m scared.”

“I know.”

They went racing one night. Coulson in Lola and Melinda on her bike once Mack finished working on it. She beat him. Waited for him at the finish line with her arms crossed on her chest, smirking.

Coulson got out of Lola and leaned against her hood.

“You cheated.”

Melinda raised her eyebrow at him. He was wearing an old Academy shirt and jeans. No dressy shoes and ties. For a moment she got the urge to push him against Lola and give him a consolation price but that would just make everything more complicated.

So she snorted. “Shortcuts are not cheating, Director.”


End file.
